From “Pest” to “Delicacy”
It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a time when lobsters were considered trash food.
Image source: Getty Images/LauriPatterson
In colonial America, lobsters were so abundant along the New England coast that they often washed up on shore in piles. Instead of a luxury meal, they were seen as a cheap, low-class food—fed to prisoners, servants, and even used as fertilizer for crops. Historical records from the 1600s and 1700s describe them as “the poor man’s protein,” and some servants even had contracts stating they wouldn’t be forced to eat lobster more than a few times a week.
The tide turned in the 19th century, when advances in rail transport and canning made lobster available inland, where people viewed it as exotic and expensive. By the early 1900s, lobster had transformed from “pest of the sea” to prized delicacy—proof that reputation, like taste, can change over time.
Learn more about how lobster went from throwaway to fine dining.Know another food that started with humble beginnings? Share it in the forum—we’d love to hear it!
